Hamlet's BlackBerry: A Practical Philosophy for Building a Good Life in the Digital Age [SIGNED FIRST EDITION]

Powers, William

Published by Harper, New York, 2010

About this Item

As new condition black boards/blue-green spine/gold spine lettering contained in a near fine condition non price-clipped color illustrated dust jacket. Includes Dedication; Preliminary Page Quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson; Prologue: The Room; Introduction; Afterword: Back to the Room; Acknowledgments; Notes and Further Reading. The rear upper jacket contains an unobtrusive less that 2 inch closed tear (see photographs); the jacket is in otherwise as new condition. The lower left jacket front contains a 2 1/2 inch sticker stating "Bunch of Grapes Bookstore Autographed Copy". Signed by the author in black marker at the lower section of the full title page. The blank first free front endpaper contains a neatly scripted vintage 2010 gift inscription. "A crisp, passionately argued answer to the question that everyone who's grown dependent on digital devices is asking: "Where's the rest of my life?" At a time when we're all trying to make sense of our relentlessly connected lives, this revelatory book presents a bold new approach to the digital age. Part intellectual journey, part memoir, Hamlet's BlackBerry sets out to solve what William Powers calls the conundrum of connectedness. Our computers and mobile devices do wonderful things for us. But they also impose an enormous burden, making it harder for us to focus, do our best work, build strong relationships, and find the depth and fulfillment we crave. Hamlet's BlackBerry argues that we need a new way of thinking, an everyday philosophy for life with screens. To find it, Powers reaches into the past, uncovering a rich trove of ideas that have helped people manage and enjoy their connected lives for thousands of years. New technologies have always brought the mix of excitement and stress that we feel today. Drawing on some of history's most brilliant thinkers, from Plato to Shakespeare to Thoreau, he shows that digital connectedness serves us best when it's balanced by its opposite, disconnectedness. Using his own life as laboratory and object lesson, Powers demonstrates why this is the moment to revisit our relationship to screens and mobile technologies, and how profound the rewards of doing so can be. Lively, original, and entertaining, Hamlet's BlackBerry will challenge you to rethink your digital life." - from the inner front jacket flap. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: William Powers, a former staff writer for the Washington Post, has written about media, technology, and other subjects for a wide variety of publications, including the Atlantic, the New York Times, and McSweeney's. This book grew out of research he did as a fellow at Harvard University's Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy. A two-time winner of the Arthur Rowse Award for media criticism, he lives on Cape Cod with his wife, author Martha Sherrill, and their son. This is his first book. Seller Inventory # 003654

Bibliographic Details

Title: Hamlet's BlackBerry: A Practical Philosophy ...

Publisher: Harper, New York

Publication Date: 2010

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: As New

Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine

Signed: Signed by Author(s)

Edition: 1st Edition